ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 18, 2020Scripture: Matthew 10:11-14Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 17, 2020Scripture: Matthew 10:9-10Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Thought for the Day: Had Jesus said this before commissioning you to go beyond your usual community, what would you have been saying to yourself? You might not have said it out loud, but I’m
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 16, 2020Scripture: Matthew 10:5-7These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Thought for the Day: As I continue to move through this section of Matthew’s Gospel, we
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 15, 2020Prayer for the Week:Some conversations are happening –Some with you, O God who hears the cries of the peopleSome are beginning to occur where they are long overdueSome are occurring as people read a book far outside their own experienceSome are occurring in a faithful and open coffee chat onlineSome are occurring in households were important topics were too easily evadedSome are occurring in the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 14, 2020Scripture: Matthew 9:37-38Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Thought for the Day: Jesus invited his disciples to pray for the Lord to send out laborers because the harvest was ready. For Matthew, this is an eschatological image, a picture of God’s new
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 13, 2020Scripture: Matthew 9:34But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.” Thought for the Day: This seems to be a common attack on Jesus, suggesting that for Jesus to have the authority to cast out demons, he must have a demon connection himself. I can just imagine people in the crowd saying, “I’ve never thought of that, but it
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 12, 2020Scripture: Matthew 9:18While Jesus was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Thought for the Day: We tend to typecast the religious leaders at the time of Jesus, viewing them as hypocritical and out to get Jesus,
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 11, 2020Scripture: Matthew 9:14-15Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. Thought for the
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 10, 2020Scripture: Matthew 9:9-10As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed Jesus. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. Thought for the Day: A number of years ago, I
ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGSJune 9, 2020Scripture: Matthew 9:1-3And after getting into a boat Jesus crossed the sea and came to his own town. And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” Thought for the Day: